Prose for Pondering Drabbles
by mcgt
Summary: A compilation of drizzles that I've written for the Prose for Pondering section on Twific Reviews.  A new segment using quotes to inspire authors to write short little drizzles around the week's quote. Various ratings, will note at top of chapter.
1. Lullaby for Molly

_A/N_

_This will be a compilation of drizzles that I've written for the Prose for Pondering section on Twific Reviews. It's a new segment that I started with BusyMommy that is an attempt to inspire authors to write short little drizzles (between 500-1000 words) based around that week's inspirational quote._

_If you're interested in participating, please check out my profile for the link to the site!_

_These have not been beta'd – so all errors are obviously mine._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I just use her characters in odd and strange ways. _

_Thanks for reading!_

Drizzle #1

Rated - K

Pairing - E/B

**Quote: Music is Love in search of words**

**Lullaby for Molly**

A warm hand caressed the back of my neck unexpectedly, causing me to jump slightly in fright. Whipping the headphones off and slinging them around my neck I glance back to see my beautiful wife smiling serenely down at me. Her hair, a tangled mess looking like she had just awoken.

"Did Molly wake you?" I asked, pulling her tightly against me, my seated body nestled between her still swollen breasts as she caressed the locks at the back of my neck.

"Yes, I got up to feed her, but by the time I went in she'd put herself back to sleep. I guess she's growing up," she sighed. "Maybe now I'll get more than three hours of sleep at a stretch."

It had been four months since she had given birth to our first child and we were still getting accustomed to all the changes that meant for our relationship. She was stubbornly determined to breastfeed exclusively, which usually meant I lucked out on the night feedings even though I sometimes offered.

"What are you doing up? And why are you in here with your headphones on?" Leaning down, she kissed the top of my head before pulling back to look at me properly.

"I was feeling inspired, so I came in here to work for a while and I didn't want to wake you." Ever since we had purchased my beautiful piano I hadn't used the old keyboard that I had to play on before we had money for the real thing.

"Inspired? What are you writing?" she asked, peering down at the composition paper laid before me haphazardly.

"A lullaby for Molly." Blushing furiously at my admission of dedicating a piece of music to our auburn haired child who couldn't even speak, yet had me firmly wrapped around her little finger.

"Play some of it for me?" Bella pled, running her hands down my torso as she turned me back towards the keyboard, urging me to play the song that was filled with not only my pure adoration and respect for my amazing wife, but also with the innocent love that occupied my heart now that Molly had entered our lives.

Unplugging my headphones, I turn the volume down, testing the sound before beginning the portion that I'd written. The achingly sweet melody poured out of the speakers as my hands continued to fly along the keys. When I'd at last come to the end of what I'd written, I spun on the low stool, glancing up to see what Bella thought of the piece so far. I was surprised to see tears trickling down her cheeks with a grin as broad as her mouth would allow.

"Oh Edward," she gasped, pulling her hands up over her mouth to contain the sob she barely held back. "It was magical. She's going to love it almost as much as she loves her daddy."

With Bella's encouragement I stayed up well into the night to complete the song that would forever be an ode to the second love of my life. My baby girl, Molly.

A/N

Thanks for reading.

There's still a little time to enter the **Showers to Flowers pick a pic contest**. Check out my profile for more info!


	2. Right in Front of You

**_Right in Front of You_**

**_Quote used for inspiration: **_"It hurts to love someone and not be loved in return, but what is the most painful is to love someone and never find the courage to let the person know how you feel."_**_**

**_Character: Jasper_**

**_Rating: T_**

"Dude, you need to buck up and just ask her." Emmett's booming voice could be heard above the noisy din in the cafeteria.

"Shut it Em." He knew about the gigantic crush I'd had on Isabella Swan for the last three years and harassed me every single chance he got. He had just caught me staring over at the table where she sat with the other cheerleaders and dumb jocks.

"You know Jasper, maybe you should go with someone else? Maybe you'd make her jealous or at least get her to notice you," Alice's chirpy voice butted in. I loved Alice, she was my best friend for the last four years but I didn't need or want to take girl advice from her. She was the reigning emo queen in the high school. Hair dyed to an unnatural black that made it appear almost blue in certain light. The dark eyeliner and blood red lips made her appear gaunt and almost eerily scary. Looking over, I noticed her picking at her chipped platinum fingernail polish and from the expression on her face I knew she was sulking at my lack of interest in her suggestion.

"Alice, I'll ask her to prom when I feel like it. If she has a date, maybe I'll go stag. I don't know. Hell, I suppose I could always take you, right?" I joked, elbowing her in the ribs to get her to laugh. If there was one thing everyone knew, was that Alice wouldn't be caught dead dressed up like a princess to go to the prom.

"You're such an ass," she snarled, leaving me sitting at the table stunned at her sudden departure.

"Dude, you're an idiot. Alice wants to go to prom so freaking bad, but no one would dare ask her because everyone thinks you two are an item."

"No one thinks that. We're friends for fuck's sake." The school wasn't that big and Alice and I had never ever even kissed, let alone been seen walking the halls hand in hand.

"Whatever. Good luck with that. Woman scorned and all." Emmett heaved his hulking body up and walked off following the same path that Alice had.

The weeks passed by and when I finally did garner up enough courage to ask Bella to prom, she'd sadly said that she'd accepted Edward Cullen's invitation to prom just the previous day. She sounded remorseful that she was unable to go with me, but encouraged my infatuation by saying she'd hope to see me there.

I sat at our usual lunch table mulling over my options when Alice sat down in a huff by my side.

"What's up mighty mite?"

"Jasper, I'm not in the mood, okay?" Looking up at me, I could see her eyes were rimmed red, as if she'd been crying.

"Alice, what's wrong? What happened?" While Alice got pissed off from time to time by the usual standard High School cliquey antics, she rarely let it get to her like this.

"Nothing."

"Alice, tell me, please?"

She sighed heavily, picking at her salad before responding, "I overheard Rosalie and Isabella basically saying that the only way I would get to go to prom was if I asked Gordon Blonkowski to go with me."

I tried, really, really hard not to laugh at the picture of tiny little Alice next to our schools gigantic, albeit super shy tuba player. Needless to say, my laughter at the image didn't help the situation with Alice.

"Fuck you Jasper. This is why I don't tell you shit."

"Wait, wait. It was just the image of you two that made me laugh, not what they said," I stated, getting my laughter under control in record time. "Alice, why don't you go to prom with me?" I was just as shocked as Alice was when the words spilled out of my mouth, but I hated to see my best friend so disheartened, especially if the harsh words had come from someone who I thought I liked.

"You want to go to prom with me? Is this some kind of pity thing, because if it is, you can go fuck yourself," she ranted, eyeing me skeptically.

"No, I mean it. Bella's going with Cullen and I would honestly like nothing better than to go with my best friend. Seriously Al, will you go to prom with me?" After taking a moment to really think about it, the prospect of spending the evening with Alice, making fun of everyone's outfits or stupid dance moves sounded incredibly appealing.

"Okay Jasper, but I'm wearing black and you should get yourself something cooler than a lame ass rental tux." She kissed me on the cheek quickly before saying she needed to get to work on her dress now and ran off for locations unknown.

"What'ya say to Alice to get her charging out of here like that?" Emmett asked plopping down beside me in the now empty seat, his mouth filled with the cookie he was eating.

"I'm going to prom with Alice." The snort along with the spray of cookie was enough to turn my stomach from the rest of the food sitting on my tray.

"Classic." Was all I heard before Emmett's boisterous laughter echoed around me.

Two weeks later I stood holding a small bouquet of poppies and standing in a vintage black suit that Alice had picked out for me to wear. I was making small talk with her mom when she cascaded down the stairs in a stunning black cocktail dress with blood red stiletto heels on. Her hair was dyed a more normal shade of dark brown and her face was scrubbed clean of her usual mask of heavy eyeliner and lipstick. Her makeup was light and her lips were a creamy pink just a shade deeper than the natural color of her own. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes on. My heart sped up and was beating an unnatural tempo in my chest and could barely get the words past my lips, "You look stunning."

Her blush from my compliment made her look like she was glowing and I was never more happy for Bella's rejection than right now. Handing over the bouquet and taking the requisite photos, we left the house and drove off to the prom in my partially restored 1973 mustang that I'd been working on since I was thirteen.

"Jasper, can I tell you something?" she asked meekly.

"Of course, you don't even need to ask."

"Um, before we go in there, I need to get something off my chest… I, I… I can't go in there tonight without you knowing." Her stutter made me glance over and see her fidgeting with the bow that was attached to the flowers.

"Alice, you can tell me anything, you know that."

"Um… Jasper, I. Jeez this is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Uh, I like you Jasper. I mean like really, really like you." The words tumbled out of her mouth in a stream of words that took me a moment to figure out.

"What?" She wanted me to be her boyfriend now? She was my best friend, what the hell was I supposed to do now? I liked her, but did I like her in that way? I valued our friendship and really didn't want to risk losing what we had. But what if we could have both? The idea sounded more and more appealing before I was taken out of my thoughts by Alice blurting out, "Never mind, forget I said anything."

"Alice, no. You just shocked me. I think I like you too. Can we see how tonight goes?" My mind drifted to Bella and Edward and while I cringed a little at the thought, it wasn't as nauseating as it was only a few days ago. Perhaps my crush was just that, a temporary fleeting thing for someone who I didn't even really know.

"Fine. Just don't start acting all weird or anything. And if I catch you mooning over Bella, I'm taking the Mustang and leaving you here," she ranted, pulling open the door before I had a chance to open it for her.

Quickly catching up with her, I tugged on her arm, whirling her around to face me. The flush from her embarrassment or anger was incredibly endearing and I just had to see if her lips were as soft as they looked. Bending down, I kissed her softly, pulling her closer to feel the way her body fit my own. Pulling back, I couldn't help but mirror her smile with one of my own. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure you're going home with me in the 'stang," I said, grabbing her hand and escorting her into the prom where we would talk, dance and kiss the night away.

I never did find out what Bella Swan wore that night. I only had eyes for one person and it wasn't her.


	3. Dreaming Wide Awake

Drizzle #3 - Dreaming Wide Awake

Quote inspiration: "You know your in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams" Dr. Seuss

Pairing: Carlisle / Esme

Rated: Hard T

CPOV

She was dreaming about something. I could tell by the furrow of her brow and the purse of her lips, not to mention the telltale eye movement beneath her lids. I wished that I could reach into the recesses of her mind and see what she was imagining in her sleepy escape from our real life. She would always tell me she didn't remember her dreams, but sometimes her mouth would quirk up on the left side and I was left to wonder the truth in her statement.

Watching her at rest, when all was silent and peaceful were some of my most cherished moments. Her hair fanned across the pillow, arms clutching the pillow that rightfully belonged to me, yet I never had the heart to take it away if she was already hugging it when I came to bed. Her creamy skin looked almost ethereal in the pale moonlight against the crimson pillowcase.

I slid into the bed trying not to disturb her slumber knowing she had to get up in a few short hours to go to work. My shift at the hospital had been excruciatingly long today, having been on back to back twelve hour shifts that both ran well into the sixteenth hour. Even though my body was exhausted my mind continued to whirr with the events of today and the beauty that lay next to me. I couldn't help my fingers as they brushed gently over Esme's face, moving a stay hair off of her cheek.

"Carlisle?" she mumbled, eyes fluttering open. Guilt wracked my gut knowing that I had stolen some precious moments of sleep from her.

"Shhhh. Go back to sleep. I didn't mean to wake you." Burrowing down into the covers, she rolls towards me and cuddles into my chest, abandoning the pillow for the real thing. Chuckling, I hold her tight, breathing in the scent of her gardenia shampoo and the remainder of her cinnamon flavored toothpaste. She's warm and soft and everything that I ever imagined a home should be. I can't help but sigh loudly, making her pull away and glance up at me in the dark.

"Did something happen? Why aren't you sleeping? Are you okay?" Her flurry of questions are released at the same time as she sits up, appraising me skeptically. She's always been a worrier, a mom at heart. Coming home hours after my shift, I'm sure she figured something went wrong at the hospital and was up worrying needlessly about it.

"Esme, I'm fine. I was just appreciating you. It was a contented sigh, not one that was going to precede a diatribe."

"Oh, okay." I seemed to have taken some of the wind out of her sleepy sails and she lay back down, fingering the sparse hair on my chest for a few moments before she stills and her breathing once again evens out.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" Her drowsy voice comes out of the darkness moments after I thought she had already drifted off.

"I'm not sleeping because every time I do I lose another six or seven hours of being with you." I didn't realize how incredibly cheesy that sounded until I'd actually said it. I meant every word, but if any of the other doctors heard me say that to my wife, I would have been ridiculed endlessly.

"Carlisle, come here. I'll help you rid yourself of that ridiculous insomnia." I could feel her smile against my chest just as she tweaked my nipple lightly, indicating that perhaps she too needed some release to go back to sleep.

Leaning up, she straddles me, tugging her nightshirt over her head in one swift movement. Any symptoms of exhaustion are long gone by the time she bends down to kiss me passionately, taking my lower lip between her teeth and tugging gently.

"Love me," she moaned, setting herself down onto my almost instantaneous hard-on. She must have been dreaming erotic things because she's already wet and ready for me.

In the stillness of the early morning hours we make love slow and reverently, enjoying our uninterrupted time together, something that rarely happens these days. Every square inch of our bodies are touched, licked, nipped or caressed. When we are joined as one, I can't remember how I ever lived without this woman and I hope to never have to again.

A/N - Last chance to vote for the A Love Like Fire Contest - please vote for A Life In Shambles if you enjoyed it. Link is on my profile. Today is the last day to vote (5/23). Thanks!


	4. What are you doing?

Quote used for inspiration: Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional

Pairing: Jasper / Alice

Rated T

**What are you doing?**

I sat on the ground staring up at the passing clouds trying to remember how to imagine them turning into bunnies and dragons. My imagination seemed to be lacking lately. Seeing my kid's bottle of bubbles, I pulled one out and tried to blow the biggest bubble I could in one breath. I laughed each time the soapy mixture would blow up in my face, yet wasn't dissuaded from another attempt.

"What are you doing?" Jasper called from the screen door.

"Blowing bubbles, what does it look like?" I laughed, blowing a stream of tiny bubbles in his direction.

"Uh, but the kids are sleeping, why are you blowing bubbles?"

"Just cause I felt like it." And for the first time in ages, I felt light and youthful.

~00~

Thwap

Thwap

Thwap

For the life of me I couldn't figure out what was making that God awful sound. Peeking my head into the backyard I watched as Jasper kicked the soccer ball repeatedly into our fence, a look of deep concentration across his face.

"Jazz, what are you doing?" I asked, honestly curious about why he felt the need to abuse our fence in such a manner.

"I'm trying to see how many times I can kick the ball in the same spot. So far my record is twenty times." He sounded so proud of his made up accomplishment.

"Um, okay. Well, good luck with that."

~00~

"Janie, see if you push down a little harder, the color is even brighter. You can shade Belle's dress to show depth," I explained, my daughter looked back at me blankly.

She wandered off and I continued coloring the picture of Beauty and the Beast that she'd picked out of the book. I was just about to finish adding some highlights to her shimmering gown when I heard a cough come from behind me.

"Ali, what are you doing?" The smirk on Jasper's face told me he found my attention to Janie's picture amusing.

"I'm coloring, duh. What did you think I was doing?" I replied, focusing my eyes back on the picture before turning it around to present my Crayola masterpiece to him.

"Great job, but don't you think maybe Janie wanted to work on that?"

"She wandered off. I was just finishing it." Shrugging slightly, I smiled broadly having forgotten how much I loved to color. Pulling another picture out of the book, I started over with a scene from Cinderella and her prince charming.

~00~

Pulling into the driveway, I caught a glimpse of my son's kite flying in the backyard. Grabbing the groceries out of the car, I headed inside to put them away. It took me a few minutes to realize that Jackson was inside playing on his PSP and Janie was doting on her doll in the corner of the playroom.

Ducking my head outside, I saw Jasper flying the kite high into the air. "J. What are you doing?" I shouted out the backdoor.

"Flying Jack's kite, why?"

"Just curious. The kids were inside so wasn't sure why you were flying the kite when no one was outside with you."

"They were both out here, but got bored, so went inside. The wind picked up, and I wanted to see how high I could get the kite to go without landing on our roof," he replied, smiling boyishly and began winding the twine around the spool

When Jasper came back inside, I sat down beside him on the sofa.

"Hey Jazz?" I whispered, tucking myself further under his arm.

"Hmm?" He replied distractedly, scrolling through the Wii menu trying to find some game that Jackson wanted to play with him.

"Let's never grow up."

Leaning down, he kissed me softly and replied, "Never."


	5. A Meeting Fated

Charlie / Bella

Rated: T

**Quote used for inspiration:** Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.

FYI - all these drizzles have not been beta'd - so read at your own risk. :-)

**A Meeting Fated**

It'd been a year and yet I was still acutely mourning the loss of my father. Charlie had been the parent who I could relate to. He was patient and loving and understood all of my quirks and teenage withdrawal tendencies that my mother just couldn't understand.

Rubbing my hand over the rough cement headstone, I traced my finger over his engraved name and the inscription below.

_Loving father_

He was so much more than a loving father. He was the person who pushed me. Hell, some days it felt more like a shove in the right direction then a gentle nudge, but his intentions were always good. Renee's voice seemed to always grate on my nerves. She wanted the daughter that I never was or would be. After daddy died, she took off for destinations unknown. At the age of twenty eight, she must have figured I was no longer her responsibility and could do without having any family. My parents being only children, I didn't have any cousins or aunts and uncles. Just me.

Pushing off of the damp grass I stood, brushing the odd leaf off of my pants before turning to head towards my car, parked off in the distance on the road beside the cemetery. A warm mist clung in the air making the heat of the day muggier than usual. I was so tired. So freaking tired. My life hadn't turned out as I'd planned all those years ago. I figured I'd have a great job and a loving husband, hell boyfriend even. But no, I worked at the tiny coffee shop I'd bought with my inheritance, working myself to the bone. I had no love life. Working sixteen hour days would do that to you.

I should've packed up and left the remote town after Charlie died since he was the only thing really keeping me here, but I just couldn't leave the memories behind. Stuck in the quagmire of my past and my future, afraid to move ahead, leaving all that I had left of my father. Instead I planted roots and was now stuck here for the indeterminable future.

Lost in my own thoughts, I was shaken when I heard a branch snap from behind me. Spinning on my heel, I saw a tall handsome man cloaked behind dark sunglasses following me. His head was down, as if he didn't even realize he was in pursuit, but he kept moving forward, eyes on the ground.

Glancing around, I searched to see if his car was parked nearby, but came up empty. There was nothing but woods and a single road where my car stood solitary amongst all the greenery.

"Miss?" A hollow voice, called out, almost like he just realized I had stopped in front of him.

Pivoting my head again, I saw he'd pulled up short, only a few feet away from where I now stood.

"I couldn't help but notice you sitting beside Chief Swan's headstone. Did you know him?" His voice was so sad. I wasn't sure who he was here to visit, but the pain in his voice sounded so fresh, so raw.

"Um, he was my father. Yes I was visiting him," I replied, voice trembling while thoughts whirred about how a man who I'd never seen before could know my father.

"He was a good man. A terrible loss to the community." Shifting his glasses off of his face, he looked up at me through bloodshot eyes, making the green of his iris' even more pronounced.

"He was. Do you mind me asking how you knew him? This town's small and I've never met you?"

"He died trying to save my wife." The words came out through a strangled whisper. "I'm Esme Cullen's son. I'd only met him a few times when I was visiting over the holidays. I'm very sorry for your loss."

I knew the Cullen's had moved into the town only a few years ago, and had only really gotten to know them after I bought the coffee shop. They'd become regulars, coming in every Sunday for brunch and the occasional weekday on their way to work.

"I know your parents. They come to my coffee shop."

"Ah, you're Bella? My mom raves about your eggs benedict and if she could get me out of my Sunday shift at the hospital I'd have already met you." His smile was warm and friendly, bordering on dazzling. If he hadn't lost his wife in the convenience store shootout alongside my father, I'd have maybe tried flirting with him. Not that I really knew how. I wasn't very good with men.

Stealing a glance at him, he was rubbing the back of his neck, looking a little flushed, nervous and uncomfortable.

"Is everything alright?"

"Um, yes. I'm okay. I just had this strange sense of déjà vu or something. Sorry. Um, I'm Edward." Pushing his hand forward, he took mine gently and shook it firmly but not hard.

"I'm Bella." For some reason I didn't want to let him out of my sight. It felt like I was being shoved by fate towards this man who was still mourning his loved one, but I couldn't help myself when the words tumbled out of my mouth, "Would you like to go have coffee? My shop is around the corner and I could use a pick me up."

He glanced down at his watch and frowned. A sure sign that he was going to turn me down. Sighing, I waited for the inevitable rejection. I knew them so well.

"I am supposed to be having lunch with my father, but I think he'd understand." Smiling sweetly, he stuck his elbow out for me to take and walked me to my car.

"How did you get here?" I blurted, still searching for his vehicle.

"Oh, I walked actually. I spent the night at my parents' house and woke up feeling like I needed to go visit Heidi today. It's only about a mile, and decided the exercise would be good for me."

"Would you like a lift? The coffee shop is in town and not exactly walking distance," I asked nervously. He replied with a nod and a smile. As I drove us out of the cemetery, I had the eerie feeling that my father had just shoved me into my future.

_Thanks Dad._ I thought, grinning all the way to the café.


	6. A Longing Interrupted

**Quote used:** The worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside them, knowing you can't have them.

Pairing: you'll find out when you read. :)

Rated: T

Reminder: All of these are just little drizzles that have not been beta'd. Please excuse all my horrible puctuation and grammar errors.

**A longing Interrupted**

It had been four long ass years.

Four years of being the best friend. Four years of pining for a man I couldn't have. Not only because he had a girlfriend, but because that girlfriend was also my sister. My _twin_ sister, who also happened to be completely perfect for him. You know the type; they finish each other's sentences, they love doing things together and are so compatible you never hear them raise their voices to one another. Yeah, they were _that_ couple.

And I was forever sitting on the sideline. I'd been single since we'd left high school, but they always let me tag along with them. And even though it was torture to see them so loving towards one another, it was still quality time with him. I endured watching them for the spare moments when we would be alone and he would confide in me all of his thoughts, feelings, secrets and dreams. The same ones I shared right back with him, except I left out the one I held so close to my chest, it was as if it was imprinted right on my heart. A beacon of words meant for only my own agony.

"Hey, you ready to go?" Edward's voice shook me out of my own head.

Grabbing some money, we headed down to our favorite bar to wait for Alice to get out of work so we could head to dinner.

"I'm thinking about asking Alice to marry me on Saturday. We're supposed to go see Death Cab at the Hollywood Bowl, and I figured I'd ask her over our picnic before the show? You think she'll say yes, right?" His nerves were actually quite endearing to watch. He was normally so calm and collected, seeing him sweat over his decision to finally marry my sister was sort of cute.

"You know she's going to say yes. Don't sweat it man," I replied, all the while wishing he was asking me instead. Green blood ran thick in my veins as I sat nursing a beer not paying attention to whatever else he was saying to me. I just couldn't help feeling like this was the end. I needed to refocus my energy into someone who wasn't unavailable, especially to someone who was going to marry into my family.

_Shit, I was screwed._

Edward must have finally noticed my somber mood since he nudged my shoulder and said, "Jasper, you know you're gonna be my best man, right?" Looking into my eyes with a heartfelt expression written all over his face there was no way I could say no.

"Yeah, yeah, course." I knew without a doubt that I'd stand before the church and all of our friends and family and bear witness to their union, but couldn't help wonder what if he had chosen me all those years ago instead of my sister.


End file.
